


Give Yourself a Try

by ByTheAngell (SomeLittleInfamy)



Series: Advent Calendar Prompts [6]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Feels, Hanukkah, M/M, Mostly Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-08
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:27:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27959147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomeLittleInfamy/pseuds/ByTheAngell
Summary: Simon doesn't want to celebrate Hanukkah on his own and takes Jace up on his offer to come over and keep him company. Simon has no idea how invested Jace really is - not just in taking part in the holiday, but in Simon himself.
Relationships: Simon Lewis/Jace Wayland
Series: Advent Calendar Prompts [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2037739
Comments: 6
Kudos: 64





	Give Yourself a Try

**Author's Note:**

> Advent Calendar Day 8 Prompt: Presents

When Jace asks him about the upcoming holidays, Simon shrugs. “I don’t know if I’m even going to celebrate,” he says noncommittally. His family thinks he’s dead, Clary isn’t around. The whole thing feels like a reminder of everything he lost this year. “Somehow the idea of celebrating Hanukkah alone seems worse than not celebrating at all.” 

“Oh,” Jace says, looking surprisingly concerned. “What if I come over and do it with you?”

Simon’s caught off-guard by the offer. “Really?” 

Jace nods. “Yeah, of course.” 

Simon eyes Jace carefully but his offer seems genuine enough. “Alright,” Simon finally agrees. “Thanks.” 

He’s done an impressive job of ignoring his crush on Jace long enough to reach the point of them becoming pretty good friends, and he can’t deny that he’d love to spend the holiday with Jace, even if Jace is only doing it to be nice. 

Maybe the holidays wouldn’t be as bad as he thought after all. It isn’t what he’s used to, but if Jace can give it a try, so can he. 

\---

Simon can tell that something is off with Jace. He’s been nervous all day, not that he’s said anything about it. Simon tried very hard to ignore it, not wanting to pry into something that isn’t any of his business, but now Jace just keeps staring at him anxiously and he has to know why. 

“Is everything alright?” Simon asks, raising an eyebrow. “I know what I said before, but I can do this alone, really, it’s fine.” 

Simon wonders if Jace only offered to come out of pity and not because he really _wants_ to be here with Simon, which Simon should’ve guessed from the start. 

“What? No, I want to be here. And everything is fine,” Jace adds. “I was just wondering… if I could give you a present?” 

Simon nearly drops the packet of matches he’s holding as he walks toward the menorah on the windowsill. “What?” 

“Well, I was doing some research, and I know gifts aren’t really traditional. I didn’t want to, like, accidentally offend you or something,” Jace adds. 

“You did research? About Hanukkah?” Simon knows he should be having a better conversation about this than just echoing back everything Jace says, but he can’t quite move past the shock of this revelation. 

“A little,” Jace says cryptically, and the slightest tinge of red crosses high on his cheeks. Simon’s certain there’s more to it than Jace is admitting, but if there is he isn’t saying any more about it. 

“Some families do gifts,” Simon confirms. “It’s a more recent shift.” 

Jace nods as if Simon’s confirming what he already found. Simon watches Jace wait expectantly because that’s still not an answer to his question. 

“You really don’t have to,” Simon emphasizes. “But yeah, a gift is fine.” He realizes Jace wouldn’t be asking if he didn’t already have one, which makes Simon overly aware that he _doesn’t_ have anything for Jace. Shit. 

“After?” Simon asks, motioning to the menorah which is the perfect stalling excuse, given the fact that the sunset just ended. 

Jace nods, and Simon watches as Jace begins to fidget again, this time with the hem of his shirt. Simon notices then that Jace’s shirt is blue with thin silver stripes, and wonders if that’s intentional, too. 

“You don’t have to say anything while I go through the blessings,” Simon reassures him. Except as Simon lights the shamash and begins to sing through the first of three blessings in Hebrew, he nearly stumbles over his words in surprise as Jace joins in immediately. It isn’t perfect, and Simon catches a few things Jace mispronounces or forgets entirely, but it’s impressive. 

“When did you learn that?” Simon asks when it’s over and the candles are lit. “Is there some secret Jewish Shadowhunter course I don’t know about?” 

“I learned what I could on my own,” Jace admits. “And called Becky for a few bits I couldn’t quite get.” 

“That’s…” Simon starts, but can’t quite find the words to tell Jace how much that means to him. He also wonders when Jace even got his sister’s number to talk to her, but doesn’t want to ask that and derail the conversation too much just then. 

“Sorry if it was awful,” Jace says quickly, obviously misinterpreting Simon’s hesitation. 

“No, it was amazing! I…” Simon shakes his head a little in awe. “That was really thoughtful of you.” 

“Speaking of thoughtful,” Jace says, walking over to where he left his coat and pulling a small box out of the pocket. “This is for you.” 

Simon takes it with a frown. “I didn’t get you anything,” he admits. 

“This isn’t my holiday,” Jace points out. 

Simon knows he isn’t going to win this argument so he drops it in favor of opening the present. He sees the Star of David and immediately freezes. 

“You should be able to touch it,” Jace says. “It’s set on a titanium backing and has a protective coating over the front.” Simon pulls what he sees is a necklace out by the chain. The religious symbol is set on top of a silver background, with a clear coating over it. “I’ve been assured that it won’t burn through, so you can wear it,” Jace adds. 

It’s so unexpectedly sweet. Simon looks from the necklace to Jace who, on top of everything else he did to be there for Simon tonight, went out of his way to get this gift for him… Simon is pretty sure he could cry just then. In fact, he realizes he’s about to and quickly sets the necklace down on the table in front of him and excuses himself. He practically runs to the bathroom to compose himself, because Jace is just trying to be nice and he doesn’t want to ruin it by getting all worked up over a stupid necklace. 

Except it isn’t a stupid necklace. It’s a really thoughtful, really _meaningful_ necklace. It’s also bringing up a lot of feelings Simon’s been working very hard to ignore because he likes being friends with Jace and he doesn’t want to ruin that by getting too emotional and making Jace regret ever being nice to him. He just needs a few seconds to reel himself back in. 

From the bathroom his heightened hearing tunes into Jace’s voice coming from the living room. Simon knows he shouldn’t be listening in just because he can, but his curiosity gets the better of him when he hears what Jace is talking about. 

“ _I told you I thought the necklace was too much,”_ Jace says, then pauses. Simon realizes he must be on the phone. _“Yeah, well, he practically ran after I gave it to him. Maybe I came on a bit too strong...”_ Another pause. _“...I can’t ask him out now! I ruined everything…”_ Another pause. _“Yes, of course I still like him.”_ Another pause, and then Jace continues very slowly and with his voice much more tense than before, _“Yes. I did forget he can probably hear everything I’m saying. Goddamnit, Alec, you set me up-”_

Jace curses and falls silent, and Simon imagines that was the very abrupt end of his phonecall. He’s pretty certain it isn’t good for his emotions to swing back and forth as wildly as they are tonight. 

Opening the bathroom door, Simon makes his way back to the living room. “Ask me,” Simon says, not even pretending he didn’t hear the conversation.

“What?” Jace asks. 

“You didn’t ruin anything. Ask me,” Simon says. 

“Do you want to go out with-?” Jace asks. 

“Yes,” Simon says before Jace can even finish asking. “I absolutely do.” 

Simon watches as Jace smiles back. “Good, because I really wasn’t looking forward to returning the seven other presents.” 

**Author's Note:**

> (A/N - I am not Jewish, but I did ask a friend a few clarifying questions I had after reading some sites/articles they suggested! What we discovered is that whether you say the Blessings before, during, or after candle lighting can vary, so I rolled with this one! That said, if I managed to mess any other details up horribly, please (kindly) let me know and I'll be happy to learn and fix any mistakes!) 
> 
> (Find me on [Tumblr](http://bytheangell.tumblr.com) and also on [Twitter](http://www.twitter.com/By_The_Angell)! <3 )


End file.
